Beyond Magic
by AlexisPryce
Summary: When a hero goes missing, his friends have to rely on something beyond magic.


Title: Beyond Magic  
Author: Alexis Pryce  
Genre: Drama/Romance  
Pairings: R/H, H/G  
Rating: PG  
Notes: Okay, this is my first Harry Potter fic and I beg you...please be gentle! Correct anything that I've written wrong. R/R!   
  
*  
  
There was another loud crash as a piece of the cave's ceiling hit the ground. The dusty, dark atmosphere made it near impossible to see. Ron Weasley's red, watery eyes flicked about in the darkness.  
  
"Harry! Hermione! Where are you?" He screamed against the noise of the collapsing cave, "Answer me!"  
  
He'd barely had enough time to take another breath before he was struck hard in the chest. He flew backwards with great speed, stopping only when his back encountered a large boulder. With the wind knocked out of him and his wand no where in sight, Ron stumbled to his feet and desperately tried to catch his breath.  
  
"Ron..." a weak voice called, "Ron, help..."  
  
Ron turned to see Hermione laying flat upon the cave floor. She was bleeding from a wound on her forehead and her legs were crushed beneath a rock, the large one that had broken his fall.   
  
"Hermione!" He whispered, slowly gaining breath and voice with a dusty cough.  
  
She smiled weakly. "Don't count on me ever asking for your help again."  
  
Ron searched around for his wand. It was completely gone. He remembered charms class from his first year at Hogwarts, so long ago.  
  
"It's levi-oh-sa. Not levio-sa." Hermione had corrected him.  
  
He knelt next to her, knowing he was not strong enough to remove the boulder from her legs. He calmly brushed some stray hair from her eyes.  
  
"I love you, Hermione." He whispered.  
  
"I know," she replied, "Likewise."  
  
He leaned down and kissed her softly, just as another piece of cave ceiling nearly hit his head. She clasped his hand and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen. Ron was about to follow suit when a greenish light appeared nearby.  
  
"Sorry, busy." Harry limped over and handed Ron a very familiar stick. He grasped his wand tightly and stood as Harry continued to divert falling rocks.  
  
"Wingardium leviosa!" Ron shouted, levitating the boulder from Hermione's legs. She tried to move, but her bones were obviously shattered. Ron set the rock down near Harry and scooped Hermione into his arms.   
  
"Which way, Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded in the direction of faint daylight. "You go, I'll follow up!"  
  
Ron nodded and headed out, feeling Hermione going limp in his arms.  
  
"Stay with me, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead softly.  
  
A great crumbling sound followed them out. The entire cave had completely collapsed. With Hermione safely on the ground, Ron stood and brushed himself off.  
  
"That was another close one, Har--" As he turned, Ron's stomach dropped. Harry wasn't behind him. Harry wasn't around at all.  
  
"Harry?" Ron called, walking quickly towards the wreckage. "Harry!?"  
  
*  
  
The unnerving silence of the hospital was too much for Ron. He stood, pacing very quickly. Why hadn't anyone returned from the search party? Why hadn't a doctor come out to speak with him about Ginny or Hermione? A familiar face stepped into view. He was tall and thin with long blonde hair that rested around his shoulders. He walked with a limp due to a prior incident with a particularly nasty Grindylow. He smiled warmly at Ron.  
  
"Ron, it's good to see you." He said.  
  
"Yes, Draco, but it's a shame that it's under these circumstances." He shoved his hands deep into his pockets to try and hide his nervousness.  
  
Malfoy's smile faded. "Yes...I'm so sorry about Potter. It's such a huge loss on what should be a joyous day."  
  
"He may still come through..." Ron trailed off when Malfoy looked at the floor.  
  
"The search party just returned without him, Ron. I'm so sorry."  
  
With a sigh, Ron sat down in the nearest chair.  
  
"Are you going to tell them? Or should I?"  
  
"I'll do it," Ron sighed. He stood and tried to wipe away a few stray tears.  
  
*  
  
Malfoy pulled back the curtain that separated two beds in the women's ward. He stepped back with a reassuring nod at Ron.  
  
A red-headed woman with fiery blue eyes looked up groggily. "'lo, Ron. Where's Harry?"  
  
Ron swallowed hard and tried to speak. All that came out was a squeak and a few more rogue tears.  
  
Hermione, in the next bed, clasped her bandaged hands over her mouth. "No..." She murmured.   
  
A nurse approached, her smile fading as she got closer. "Ron...is everything okay?" She wheeled a wooden cart towards them.  
  
Ginny realized what was going on. She didn't know how to react. She simply sat and watched her older brother cry. She reached out and pulled him to her chest, allowing him to sob into her hospital gown.   
  
Hermione glanced at the cart, then at the nurse. "Cho, is that...?"  
  
She nodded, wiping away her own tears. With a deep breath, Cho reached into the cart and removed a bundle. She kissed it softly, then placed it into the arms of Ginny, who still hadn't cried. Her strength seemed to be spreading as Ron wiped away his tears and stared silently at the bundle.   
  
A tiny, redheaded baby with sparkling green eyes stared up at his mother. He blinked a few times before smiling. A small, bronze nameplate dangled from the infant's foot reading, 'Baby Boy Potter'.  
  
Cho coughed, then spoke up tearfully. "He's the oddest thing. He's had his eyes open for an hour or two...and they're green. I've never seen a newborn with green eyes like his."  
  
"He's just like his father." Ginny whispered, brushing the red hair from the baby's forehead.  
  
Harry smiled and limped into view, drawing the attention and astonished smiles of everyone in the room. "Well...not just. He's got his mother's hair, thank goodness. Mine's awful, and I never can do anything with it." 


End file.
